Raspberry and Vanilla Overnight Buns (from scratch)

These delightfully soft and fragrant raspberry and vanilla buns are slowly proofed in the fridge overnight. The next morning, they are popped in the oven and finished off with a light vanilla drizzle. Perfect for any lazy weekend.

This recipe for raspberry and vanilla overnight buns first appeared on The Culinary Jumble (my original blog) and was published on 30th July 2016. The images, recipe and post have all been amended (although they are still the same great buns).

I’ve been so excited recently because the blueberry and raspberry bushes we planted a few months ago are producing fruit. As someone who cares about the stuff my family consumes, knowing we are eating our very own home-grown fruit gives me a little thrill. Plus, homegrown, fresh berries taste so much better.

So, I thought a great way to use up some of the fruit was with these gorgeous raspberry and vanilla overnight buns. I’m no stranger to making a base version of these sweet rolls, which are allowed to rise overnight in the fridge, ready to bake in the morning. 

My kids commented that these were the best I’d made so far. As amazing as my blackberry skillet buns or saffron and white chocolate buns are, I think they could be right. However, one of my all time favorites still remains the impressive coffee cinnamon buns with coffee icing.

Anyway, back to this recipe. The slight sweetness of the bread with the tart of the raspberries along with a hint of vanilla, just smashes it. I also think they are the prettiest I’ve made.

Can dough really rise in the fridge overnight?

Somewhat surprisingly, yes. We are taught that bread needs a lovely, warm place to proof. And that’s absolutely true. But not always. A slow proofing in the fridge overnight produces great quality bread. I love to peek in the fridge to check on mine.

The first time I made them, I was sure they would remain as flat as pancakes. However, they popped up a lot quicker than I had expected. They do the most rising within the first couple of hours. After that, the process is a lot slower. 

The perks of making overnight dough

• It saves time in the morning

With a busy life, and hungry mouths to feed, I invariably look for the easiest way to do things. I work out of the house during the week, so when the weekend hits, I am somewhat reluctant to do too much. Making overnight buns the night before so that I can have ready made bread in just over an hour was a life-saver to me. In the morning, you remove the bread from the fridge, pop it on the counter and allow it to come up to room temperature. Then it’s ready to be baked. Doesn’t get much simpler than that. 

I really enjoy making homemade bread, but it is a rather long-winded process. However,  when you’ve already done the lion’s share of preparation, and by letting the yeast work its magic overnight, it somehow seems less laborious. 

• It tastes better

All bread tastes good. We aren’t going to quibble about that. But if you let your buns proof slowly overnight, they taste better. There’s a good reason for this, and like with all baking, it’s down to chemistry. Allowing bread to slowly rise in a cold environment gives the enzymes and bacteria a chance to flavour the bread, improving its overall taste and texture.

However, the dough does need to be refrigerated. If you leave it on the counter-tip overnight it’s likely to over-proof. Imagine waking up to see you’ve been invaded by dough. Mind you, I can think of worse things than being swamped in yeasty goodness. 

Can all bread be proofed overnight?

In theory, I would have to say yes. Any kind of bread that contains yeast (and needs to rise) can be proofed overnight. However, some bread, like spelt naan or even spelt focaccia want to be enjoyed fairly quickly, so you perhaps wouldn’t want to wait all night.

I have zero experience with sour dough, so can’t comment. It’s on my bucket list, though. I just feel a little intimidated by it. If you would like to know how to make sourdough, this amazing beginner’s guide from The Clever Carrot is well worth a read. 

Bread that you want to enjoy first thing in the morning is the best kind of dough to pop in the fridge overnight. Other bread made without yeast, such as soda bread, pita bread and tortillas are a little different.  Although they need to rest before baking, they don’t need proofing at all. 

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Raspberry and Vanilla Overnight Buns (from scratch)

These delightfully soft and fragrant raspberry and vanilla buns are slowly proofed in the fridge overnight, then they are popped in the oven the following morning. Perfect for any lazy weekend.

Course bread, Breakfast

Keyword overnight bread, raspberries, sweet buns

Servings 12 small buns

Ingredients

Dough:

• 200-250g (1⅔ - 2 cups) bread flour (see note 1)
• 7g (2¼ tsp) yeast (see note 2)
• ½ tsp salt
• 180ml (¾ cup) milk
• 2 tbs sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:

• 50g (¼ cup) sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 30g (2 tbs) butter (melted)
• handful of raspberries

Drizzle:

• 70g (⅔ cup) icing / confectioners' / powdered sugar
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1-2 tbs water

Instructions

Filling:

• Heat the butter until just melted (no need to cook it).
• Add the vanilla and sugar and stir to combine. Set to one side.

Dough (see note 3):

• Grease a baking tray or tin (I used a 26cm round bundt but it doesn't matter what you use).
• In a large bowl, combine 200g (1⅔ cup) of the flour with the yeast and salt.
• Pour in the milk and vanilla, and quickly stir to combine.
• Continue to add flour a little at a time, just until the dough pulls together (it should still be a little tacky to the touch).
• Pour the dough out onto a well floured surface and knead until it is nice and smooth.
• Roll the dough out until you have made a fairly large rectangle/square shape (don't worry about it being exact), with the shorter end facing you.
• Cover the top of the dough with the filling keeping an inch free all the way around.
• Sprinkle with the raspberries and very carefully start to roll up the dough from the side nearest to you. When you've finished, keep the seam side face down.
• Cut the roll into equal sized pieces (see note 4). and place them quite close to each other in your chosen baking tin.
• Cover with cling-film and pop in the fridge overnight.
• The following morning, remove the buns from the fridge and allow them to come back up to room temperature (this usually takes around an hour).
• Pre-heat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
• When ready, bake the buns for around 17-20 minutes, just until they are a nice golden colour.
• Remove from the oven and let them cool a little.

Drizzle:

• Mix the icing sugar and vanilla sugar together and add just enough water to form a fairly thick paste.
• Pour or drizzle over the buns (either in the pan or individually as I did) and enjoy while they are still warm.

Notes

 

I have converted grams to cups/ounces/tablespoons using online converters. Although I have no reason to believe they are inaccurate, please be aware that I have not made this recipe with imperial measurements.

 

1. This is an old recipe and has only been made with bread flour. I have not made this particular recipe using spelt flour (or all-purpose flour). However, I rarely use bread flour these days and usually do a straight swap for spelt flour. I see no reason why you couldn't do the same here.
2. In Sweden we have something called dried yeast. It is used both in warm liquid to proof and also added directly to flour. I am aware that the US has two options for dried yeast, and I believe dry active yeast is the most similar for the purpose of making this particular bread.
3. I no longer make my dough by hand. I use either a bread machine or stand mixer. Both of these methods can be used to make the dough.
4. I made 14 small buns. You can make them larger, but if so, you may need to bake them for a little longer.